Ethel Jane Cain (1 May 1909 – 19 September 1996) was a British telephonist and actress, and the original voice of the speaking clock in the United Kingdom.
Jane Cain | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ethel Jane Cain 1 May 1909 |
| Died | 19 September 1996 |
Working at London's Victoria Exchange, she was appointed on 21 June 1935 following a competition among GPO telephonists; there were nine finalists in total and the adjudication panel included leading actress Sybil Thorndike and Poet Laureate John Masefield, who announced that "She has a golden voice. It is beautiful."[1] Her recording was used from 1936 until 1963, when it was replaced by Pat Simmons. She also made a record for the GPO, helping other staff members improve their speaking voices, and went on to become announcer for Henry Hall during his broadcast concerts.[2]
Having been chosen as the 'Golden Voice Girl', in July 1935 she was offered the leading role in the Columbia Pictures film Vanity.[3] Directed by Adrian Brunel, it began shooting at Walton-on-Thames in October and was first shown in December.[4] Using the name Jane Cain as an actress, she then made her professional stage debut at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park on 17 July 1936, playing Celia in As You Like It.[5] The Post Office had started its 'speaking clock' service on the 1st of the same month, over a year after her appointment had been announced.[6]
In addition to working with regional repertory companies, notably a lengthy association with Scotland's Perth Theatre Company in the 1950s, she also appeared in such West End shows as A Soldier for Christmas (1944), Maigret and the Lady (1965) and The Sleeping Prince (1968).[7] She also played supporting roles in such TV series as Starr and Company (1958) and Thirty-Minute Theatre (1961).[8]
Her voice lives on as the voice of the virtual operator on C*NET, a worldwide network of old telephone exchanges preserved by collectors which uses a voice recognition system when '0' or '100' are dialled for the 'operator'.[citation needed]
See also
edit- Speaking clock
- Pat Simmons, second permanent voice
- Brian Cobby, third permanent voice
- Lenny Henry, comedian, temporary voice
- Alicia Roland, 12-year-old schoolgirl, temporary voice
- Sara Mendes da Costa, fourth permanent voice
References
edit- ^ 'Golden Voice Girl Chosen', Daily Mirror 22 June 1935, p.6
- ^ Speaking Clocks by Andrew Emmerson Retrieved on 20 October 2008
- ^ 'Golden Voice Girl in Film', Daily Mirror 17 July 1935, p.4
- ^ 'Golden Voice Girl's First Film', Kinematograph Weekly 5 December 1935, p.23
- ^ 'Chit Chat', The Stage 9 July 1936, p.8
- ^ 'The Golden-Voice Girl', Nottingham Evening Post 1 July 1936, p.6
- ^ https://theatricalia.com/person/1zq9/jane-cain
- ^ Jane Cain Biography, Imdb.com
External links
edit- Telecommunications Heritage Group
- Jane Cain at IMDb
- Midleton, Alan. "The Speaking Clock - Objectivity #152" (video). YouTube. Brady Haran. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2018. Includes video clips of Jane Cain.